The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in five people in the United States suffer from one or more sexually transmitted infections (STIs), such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and HIV. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States saw increases in infections like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis. The deflection of some medical funding and resources to COVID-related care has also made STI testing and treatment difficult to access. In general, attention moved away from sexual health and other initiatives to tackle the pandemic.  Sexual activity...

Most people are tired of COVID-19. Now entering our third year of the pandemic, it seems, on the one hand, we are making significant progress with vaccines, boosters, and treatments. On the other hand, we're dealing with Omicron, the latest mutation of the coronavirus creating a surge of cases across the United States and the world. And if we don't get a handle on COVID-19 with higher vaccination rates, we're susceptible to new strains.  "Omicron, with its extraordinary, unprecedented degree of efficiency of transmissibility, will ultimately find just about everybody," said Dr. Anthony Fauci....

As reported in a 2014 Public Reports article, a large and compelling body of evidence has accumulated, particularly during the last two decades, that reveals a powerful role for social factors—apart from medical care—in shaping health across a wide range of health indicators, settings, and populations. This evidence does not deny that medical care influences health; rather, it indicates that it is not the only influence on health. Moreover, research suggests that medical care may be more limited than commonly thought, particularly in determining who becomes sick or injured in the first place.  Consider...

December 14, 2021, was the first anniversary of the COVID-19 vaccine’s administration. On December 8, 2020, a woman in the United Kingdom was the first recipient. Since then, various healthcare workers across the globe have given more than eight billion shots.  Development of Vaccines and Regulations over the Past Year  Scientists have studied severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) for years, not just since 2020. These early efforts gave COVID-19 vaccine research and development a head start. Another factor has been the number of infected individuals, allowing for large samples of clinical...

January represents National Blood Donor Month, a health holiday dedicated to drawing awareness to the critical public health initiative of blood donation. This January, the need for blood donation is especially great, as our country’s blood donation network is reeling from a disruption in its supply.  Blood donations have declined—in fact, the American Red Cross, which supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood, says that it is experiencing the worst blood shortage in more than a decade.  Read on to learn why it’s important to donate blood and how you can pitch in during National Blood...